Part 14 (1/2)
She read a pa.s.sage from Lady Chatterley's Lover Lady Chatterley's Lover, her voice lovingly caressing the torrid words. And then she played a torchy Tina Turner song about a dancer for hire. The two shouldn't have gone together, but somehow they did.
A lonely-sounding man talked about how much he fantasized meeting someone like his mother, then another spoke of female cops in bikinis. Kelsey helped one woman build on a scenario involving a closed theme park and a certain superhero character, and Mitch laughed until tears came out of his eyes at the story they concocted.
But her own fantasies held him utterly enthralled. She liked strawberries and chocolate. He hadn't known that about her. She wanted to wake up on a bed of flower petals. That he could have guessed. She sometimes imagined she was a romance novel heroine and a tall, strong man swept her up on a horse and they rode on a beach, along a rough, rocky sh.o.r.e all night long.
She wanted to make love on a staircase.
When he heard that one, Mitch remembered their first heated kisses on the stairs and groaned out loud. He wanted Kelsey so badly that he physically ached.
”SO, MY FRIENDS, we're coming to the end of another Night Whispers Night Whispers. Not a bad way to spend a Monday evening, was it? I hope you got a little inspiration. I know I did. I thank you for your ideas and your calls. Those of you who couldn't get through, please don't give up. We will have many other interesting topics to discuss in all those long nights to come.”
Brian rolled his arm forward, letting her know she had a little more time to fill, so Kelsey continued.
”Here's one final little secret fantasy I'll share. I fantasize that one day a certain incredibly s.e.xy man will take off the blinders he's wearing over those gorgeous velvety blue eyes of his and admit he's madly in love with me.”
Kelsey paused, then delivered the punch line.
”Of course, I guess Mel Gibson's wife would have something to say about that!”
Brian shook his finger at her playfully through the gla.s.s, telling her he knew exactly whose blue eyes she'd been talking about.
”Again, thank you all. You've been listening to Night Whispers Night Whispers, with Lady Love, here on WAJO. Please come visit me tomorrow. I'll be waiting.”
A HALF HOUR LATER HALF HOUR LATER, Brian and Kelsey picked up their things and prepared to leave the break room.
”Great show,” he said again. ”I have to say, Lady Love was especially sultry tonight. Any particular reason?”
She shrugged her shoulders and feigned ignorance. ”Not a clue.”
He laughed out loud and held the door open for her. ”Looks like Mr. Faithful's on duty tonight. Tell me, has he worked up the nerve to ask you out yet?” Brian murmured as they walked into the lobby and he nodded toward the station doors.
Kelsey followed his glance and saw Edgar, the station's full-time security guard. She was glad he was the one on duty. ”Don't be silly. He's just a very nice man...a very nice married married man.” man.”
Brian sighed. ”Honey, that doesn't stop some men.”
”Well, I guarantee it would stop him. I met his wife one evening when she brought him his dinner. She definitely wears the pants in that family.”
Kelsey smiled as they reached the guard at the door. Edgar was quiet, una.s.suming, almost bookish. At first she'd been a little unsure of his qualifications as a guard, but she'd heard he was very coolheaded, and good with his gun. He seemed devoted to her, and was always respectful and polite.
”And better him than Charlie,” she muttered after Edgar stepped outside to glance around the parking lot before ushering them out.
”That meathead?” Brian scoffed. ”Yeah, I guess you're right. Edgar might not look intimidating, but at least he looks intelligent. Charlie, on the other hand, looks like a slab of human muscle without an ounce of brainpower.”
If it was just the lack of intelligence, Kelsey might not have minded Charlie, the other regular guard, so much. The man was good-looking, tall, broad, blond and confident. But he had made several comments to her about how he could help her with Night Whispers Night Whispers. His flirtatiousness made her uncomfortable. She much preferred Edgar.
”Ready, Miss Logan?” Edgar asked as he stepped back inside and gave them an all-clear sign.
She nodded, and the two men escorted her to her car.
MITCH STOOD OUTSIDE his apartment door, watching from the foyer window for Kelsey. It was forty-five minutes after her show ended, and he knew she'd be arriving home at any minute. He hadn't told her he'd wait up for her and wondered if her first instinct would be to go up to her apartment or to come to him. It didn't matter. He wasn't going to give her a choice. his apartment door, watching from the foyer window for Kelsey. It was forty-five minutes after her show ended, and he knew she'd be arriving home at any minute. He hadn't told her he'd wait up for her and wondered if her first instinct would be to go up to her apartment or to come to him. It didn't matter. He wasn't going to give her a choice.
She arrived moments later, and he grinned as he leaned back in the dark, waiting for her. What a change from the first time he'd waited up after one of Lady Love's performances. Now he wasn't going to kiss her to shut her up. He was going to kiss her to make her moan in ecstasy.
Kelsey entered the dark brownstone, locked the front door behind her and reached her hand toward Mitch's door. Before she could grasp the k.n.o.b, a hand closed around her wrist. She screamed.
”Kelsey, baby, it's only me!” Mitch said.
Her heart pounded a mile a minute and Kelsey raised a shaking hand to her face. ”Would you stop doing that?” she shouted. ”You scared the heck out of me again!”
”I'm sorry, sweetheart, really. I was just trying to surprise you. What's wrong? Did something happen?”
”No, I'm fine, you just startled me. I'm tired. For some reason I didn't get much sleep the past couple of nights,” she said, now smiling crookedly.
Mitch opened the door and led her into his apartment. He slid her coat off her shoulders and tossed it onto the couch, then gently rubbed the tense muscles on the sides of her neck.
”Sorry to disappoint you, sweetheart, but you ain't gonna get much sleep tonight, either. At least not for a while.”
He kissed the sensitive spot of skin where her neck met her shoulders, and Kelsey instantly felt the tension drain from her body. It was replaced by heat, antic.i.p.ation, desire. All the feelings Mitch's touch aroused.
He was right. She didn't get to sleep for a long, long time.
IN THE DAYS THAT FOLLOWED, Kelsey was happier than she had ever thought possible. Mitch was attentive and adoring, incredibly romantic and thoughtful. Each night when she got home from work, she'd find him waiting in the well-lit foyer to sweep her into his apartment. She never took for granted that he'd be waiting, not wanting to upset the perfect balance their relations.h.i.+p had reached. But he was always there.
He fulfilled her every desire. One night she came home from work and found his bed covered with rose petals. A bowl of red strawberries and a fondue pot with melted chocolate sat on the table.
”You heard my show on fantasies, didn't you!”
”Guilty,” he said as he dipped a juicy berry into the chocolate and held it to her mouth.
She bit into the succulent fruit, licking the chocolate that dripped down his fingers. ”Lady Love can be pretty useful, can't she?”
”I try to forget that you and Lady Love are the same person. But I have to admit, she does have some terrific ideas.”
”She's got great inspiration.”
Mitch pulled away for a moment and frowned. ”Kelsey, what happens here is just for us, all right? I would hate it if you ever brought our personal life onto the air with you.”
”Don't worry,” she said. ”Gee, it's awfully warm in here tonight.” Kelsey unb.u.t.toned her slacks and wiggled out of them, sliding them to her feet as slowly as she could. Mitch watched her every move, and she pretended she didn't notice his eyes darken and his breath come more quickly.